Reasons to study Russian, or English for that matter!

[James Mallinson]

Following on Professor Kalbouss' observations about Russian Neo-Nazis in Israel, I remembered something I heard on Chicago Public Radio a few weeks ago.  It was a public service announcement for a presentation of the Moiseyev Russian Dance Company by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and I thought I heard some wording that didn't strike my ear as quite right.  At first I wrote it off as a simple slip of the tongue, but I was intrigued to know whether the announcement was a mistake on the part of the radio station, or whether the Symphony was just putting out bad PR material.


So, I went to the Symphony's website listing for the event (here:  http://www.cso.org/main.taf?p=3,11,6,1&EventID=9051), and sure enough, there it was, just like on the radio:



"This Russian treasure blends ballet with more than 3,000 Russian nationalistic dances..."



Is it just me, or is "nationalistic" a word that shouldn't be attached to a presentation by one of America's leading symphony orchestras?


I obviously know that the CSO meant no harm and that the dancers of Moiseyev aren't going to pull on jackboots to goose-step for the audience, but I still hate the words "Russian nationalistic," both as an observer of modern Russia and as a performing arts professional who holds high standards for PR copy.


So, am I being too sensitive, or is it "springtime for Hitler and Germany?"


James Mallinson
Business Manager
Centre East, Inc.

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